Had a cracking piece of news this week; Epson want me to test a £200 running watch! Post 5 reviews and I get to keep it! Get in!
Anyway, this post was inspired by this week's long run. Originally, I'd planned a 14 miler, but it ended up being ten. And that was better. Allow me to elaborate.
The basic purpose of a long run is to enable your body to run for a period of time. Not DISTANCE. TIME. Our bodies don't know a mile from a kilometre. Our bodies only know effort, and long runs should be easy. It's all about time on your legs. The actual distance doesn't matter too much. However, long runs can be adapted to make your training so much better.
During a long run, your body goes through a series of adaptations to improve your running physiology for next time. Your capillaries (the little blood vessels that lead to your muscles) grow like tree branches, increasing oxygen supply efficiency. Your mitochondria (cellular power stations that enable energy to be used) increase in both size and number. Your liver learns to store more fuel. Get the picture? Your long run is ESSENTIAL for running success, and if you can only squeeze in ONE run during a busy week, make it your long run (fun fact-physiological changes take about two weeks to take effect).
However, the real boon of a long run is they can be played with to include loads of jazzy bits that have a cracking effect on your fitness, and that's what happened to me on Friday.
I didn't have time for the two hour monster I had planned, so I said to myself that I would do ten miles. And at mile 6, I felt very strong, so I decided to make the last 3 miles the fastest 5k I could manage. This extra burst (its proper name is a progression run) gets the body used to finishing fast, and it felt brilliant to have done a long run that incorporated some speed work also. A kick at the end that you have actually practised in training can make the difference between several places or seconds.
But it isn't just fast finishes that you can try during a long run. You can stick 3 miles of intervals in the middle. You can do some hill climbing for ten minutes i the middle. Your training should include as many different combinations of workouts as creativity will let you try. A routine is a bad idea. Mix it up to achieve best results.
I wouldn't recommend being 'creative' during every long run. You need the good old fashioned time on your legs. But every 3rd or 4th run, try something different. Try something your body has NEVER tried before. It will stimulate your body to adapt, and that means getting faster.
Next week I start putting in some more speed work sessions. I'd love to hear about successful sessions that you've tried. Drop me a comment if so!
Anyway, this post was inspired by this week's long run. Originally, I'd planned a 14 miler, but it ended up being ten. And that was better. Allow me to elaborate.
The basic purpose of a long run is to enable your body to run for a period of time. Not DISTANCE. TIME. Our bodies don't know a mile from a kilometre. Our bodies only know effort, and long runs should be easy. It's all about time on your legs. The actual distance doesn't matter too much. However, long runs can be adapted to make your training so much better.
During a long run, your body goes through a series of adaptations to improve your running physiology for next time. Your capillaries (the little blood vessels that lead to your muscles) grow like tree branches, increasing oxygen supply efficiency. Your mitochondria (cellular power stations that enable energy to be used) increase in both size and number. Your liver learns to store more fuel. Get the picture? Your long run is ESSENTIAL for running success, and if you can only squeeze in ONE run during a busy week, make it your long run (fun fact-physiological changes take about two weeks to take effect).
However, the real boon of a long run is they can be played with to include loads of jazzy bits that have a cracking effect on your fitness, and that's what happened to me on Friday.
I didn't have time for the two hour monster I had planned, so I said to myself that I would do ten miles. And at mile 6, I felt very strong, so I decided to make the last 3 miles the fastest 5k I could manage. This extra burst (its proper name is a progression run) gets the body used to finishing fast, and it felt brilliant to have done a long run that incorporated some speed work also. A kick at the end that you have actually practised in training can make the difference between several places or seconds.
But it isn't just fast finishes that you can try during a long run. You can stick 3 miles of intervals in the middle. You can do some hill climbing for ten minutes i the middle. Your training should include as many different combinations of workouts as creativity will let you try. A routine is a bad idea. Mix it up to achieve best results.
I wouldn't recommend being 'creative' during every long run. You need the good old fashioned time on your legs. But every 3rd or 4th run, try something different. Try something your body has NEVER tried before. It will stimulate your body to adapt, and that means getting faster.
Next week I start putting in some more speed work sessions. I'd love to hear about successful sessions that you've tried. Drop me a comment if so!
Great point made about time on your feet being the benefit rather than the mile number in your legs. Interestingly, I unwittingly ended up with a creative 10 miles last Monday, described roughly as: Fast mile to meet the social running group, very slow 3 miles leading the group, brisker 2 miles now looking back, quick courtesy break followed by 1 very fast mile to catch up, another fast looping back mile and then 2 moderate and hilly miles home. My run profile looked crazy, I ran miles from 7:30 to nearly 10:30 but actually really enjoyed the work out! Socially fun too. I'll try to keep mixing it up... Occasionally! 🏃
ReplyDeleteWeirdly, that strange session probably did wonders for your fitness!
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